


Will of Fire

by BunniesofDoom



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Crying, Friendship, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Volume 5 (RWBY), fall maiden ruby, will tag characters as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29597337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: Ruby never asked for this kind of power.Or, Cinder doesn't survive her fall.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee & Yang Xiao Long, Cinder Fall & Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black & Emerald Sustrai, Ruby Rose & Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 3
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea that I had last night that wouldn't leave me alone. Set at the end of volume 5 with a slight canon divergence. Enjoy!

Sometime after she sends her sister into the Vault after Cinder and Raven, Ruby becomes vaguely aware that she feels—different, somehow. She can't quite put her finger on why or how, but there's a strange feeling prickling under her skin, almost like some sort of electric current. There's a heady rush of strength and power, almost like the first time she was able to access her aura, when Yang unlocked it for her, but where is it coming from? It's almost as if someone is boosting her aura, but Jaune is nowhere near her right now.

Whatever it is, she doesn't have time to focus on it right now. Despite the current odds clearly not being in their favor, Emerald and Mercury are putting up a strong fight. And as if it weren't enough that both of them on their own are strong opponents, together they make a formidable team. Even with Weiss and Blake backing her up, it's going to take all of her concentration just to hold them off.

Emerald is insistent that Cinder will return triumphantly any moment now, with the Lamp of Knowledge in hand, ready to strike them down. Ruby remembers Emerald's earlier insistence that if Ruby wanted to fight Cinder, she'd have to fight her first. The green-haired girl seems quite attached to Cinder, refusing to even think about the possibility that the Fall Maiden would fail.

Privately, Ruby has her own doubts that she's trying to quash down. She trusts Yang, of course she does, and she's well aware that her sister can hold her own in a fight. But—so could Pyrrha. Pyrrha had been among the strongest fighters in their class, and Cinder had still struck her down in the end. And Yang is strong, yes, and she's improved since they were at Beacon, but she's still facing down three very strong opponents, including the Spring and Fall Maidens. And Yang is alone.

But dwelling on her sister's odds of success won't help anyone, so Ruby shoves her worries and doubts to the back of her mind, determined to focus on the fight in front of her. The best way she can help her sister right now is not to fret about things she can't change, but instead to not make Yang have to fight more when she returns.

And then Yang is there, holding the Lamp of Knowledge triumphantly. There are dried tear tracks on her face and her eyes are ringed with red, but she looks relatively unharmed. Ruby allows herself a fraction of a second to breathe a sigh of relief at her sister's successful return—only to be interrupted by Emerald's scream.

She can't tell if Emerald is screaming in rage or pain or desperation, or a mixture of all three, but the other girl clearly isn't taking the news well. Emerald continues to shriek, and suddenly Ruby's vision is filled with a strange woman, her skin ghostly white and pale hair contrasting sharply with her dark eyes. Her red irises seem to bore into Ruby's very soul.

Ruby has no idea who this woman is, but she seems incredibly dangerous.

Startled, she stumbles back a step, raising her arms in front of her face. As if triggered by her panic, she feels power surge within her—and suddenly, a thin stream of flames hits the woman squarely in the face.

Where did that come from?

Ruby blinks, and suddenly the woman is gone. She must have been one of Emerald's illusions. With a sigh of relief, she drops her arms.

Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel are gone. They must have fled while they were distracted. She looks around to see everyone staring at her. "What's going on?"

Weiss looks at her like she can't quite believe what she's seeing. "What was that, Ruby?"

"What was what?" It's only then that Ruby realizes that the tiny flickers of light she keeps seeing in the corner of her eye are actually from the silver flames blazing around her eyes. "Oh."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald buckles under the weight of Salem's wrath.

The mood is somber as they make their way inside the fortress. Tyrian is standing just inside, as if he's been waiting for them. He greets them with a cheerful grin, a mocking tone to his voice. Emerald does her best to ignore him. But she can't but bristle when he brings up Cinder's obvious absence.

"Speaking of which, where is our Fall Maiden?" He starts to laugh as Emerald freezes in her tracks, sensing her obvious apprehension. "Don't tell me something happened to her?" he asks mockingly, before laughing even harder.

Without a second thought, Emerald whirls around, weapons unsheathed, ready to tear the obnoxious scorpion faunus to pieces. If not for Mercury, he'd be down a lot more than just a stupid tail.

She does her best to ignore his cackling as they walk away. Cinder will be fine. She has to be. She's the only person who's ever really cared about Emerald. She can't be dead. She just can't. She'll come back for Emerald. She'll be back, stronger than ever.

Won't she?

The weight of Salem's disapproval at their failure is palpable. It feels heavier than usual, without Cinder here to look to for guidance. She finds herself wilting in the face of the Grimm queen's obvious wrath, suddenly feeling very small and alone, even with Mercury and Hazel beside her. It doesn't help that Mercury seems just as freaked out as she does.

And then Hazel, unbelievably, speaks up. He's trying to take the blame for everything. Emerald can't decide if he's incredibly brave, incredibly stupid, or just plain suicidal. Or maybe it's a mixture of all three?

Maybe being unable to feel pain dulls your ability to feel fear.

Predictably, Salem is unimpressed by Hazel's attempt. If anything, she seems even angrier. Emerald watches in horror as Hazel is yanked to the ground by inky black Grimm arms with a pained grunt.

She then turns to Emerald, inhuman eyes boring into her so deeply it feels like they're boring down into her very soul. Emerald can't repress the flinch at being examined so closely, and she resists the urge to gulp nervously.

"Emerald, I want you to tell me whose fault this was." It's not a question. Salem takes a step closer, and this time Emerald does gulp. "Now."

She'd promised she wasn't going to give up Cinder. She doesn't blame Cinder for what happened, even if it had been her last-minute changes to their plan that had resulted in their defeat. She owes Cinder everything. She's her mentor. She's the only person who's ever cared about her. Emerald can't just throw her under the bus—

But with Salem's immortal rage aimed directly at her, Emerald quickly finds her willpower crumbling. "C—Cinder!" she blurts out, with only minor hesitation. "We failed because of Cinder."

She immediately feels guilty, but Salem seems pleased by her answer, stepping past Emerald and placing a hand on her shoulder. Emerald does her best not to shudder at the touch. "That's right. I want you to understand that failure. I want you to understand why Cinder is dead now."

And Emerald's entire world comes screeching to a halt. Cinder is dead? That can't be right. She can't be dead—she just can't be. She's just injured and—and hiding out somewhere until she can find her way back to them. She'll be back soon. She's the Fall Maiden. She can't be dead.

Can't she?

Emerald doesn't hear anything that Salem and the others say after that. Between the ringing in her ears and the swirling mess of her own thoughts, nothing around her seems real anymore. She barely even feels it when Hazel guides her and Mercury around of the room. She doesn't hear Salem's screams behind her, or the shattering of glass. None of it matters anymore.

Because if Cinder is gone, what is Emerald supposed to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting this a bit earlier than canon because of reasons. I've been spending a lot of time planning out this story, and I'm super excited about what I have planned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haven Academy is in chaos in the aftermath of Salem's attack on the school.

Haven Academy is in chaos in the aftermath of Salem's attack on the school. Ruby is exhausted from fighting; she wants nothing more than to head back to the house they've been staying in and sleep for at least a solid twenty-four hours—but there's no time for that. The Mistral police are here, and they have a lot of questions.

And they're not the only ones. Ruby does her best to focus on the officers interrogating her, but her thoughts swirling with confusion. As much as she wants to believe that she just imagined it, that it was just a trick of the light, there's no denying that it was real. That the others saw it too.

Silver flames around her eyes, the jet of fire. Just like—just like Cinder. But how? And when? And why would-?

Her train of thought is interrupted by Qrow waving her over. Apparently, the police are done with them for now. They're free to go. Her head still spinning with questions, Ruby turns to follow her friends back to the house they've been staying in. Finally, they can get some sleep.

And Blake is coming with them. Team RWBY is back together.

By the time they make it back to the house, the sun is high above the horizon. Ruby doesn't think she's ever been so tired in her life. She happily turns to follow Yang back to the room they've been sharing with Weiss, only to be stopped by Weiss' hand on her arm.

"Wait, Ruby," her partner says, voice quiet but firm. "Shouldn't we talk about—about what happened earlier?"

"Um," Ruby says eloquently, biting her lip and turning to her uncle. While she agrees with Weiss that they need to discuss what happened, she was hoping they could wait a little bit. Right now, she's so tired she can barely think straight.

Qrow shakes his head. "We're all exhausted right now. Let's go ahead and get some sleep. We can talk about it in the morning." He gestures to Oscar, slumped motionlessly in his arms. "I think Oz should be present for this conversation, and right now that can't really happen." Ruby's shoulders slump in relief.

With that, they stumble off to their respective bedrooms, mumbling "goodnights" and "see you in the mornings." Ruby tugs off her combat gear, fingers fumbling as she pulls on her pajamas. Yang and Weiss are quiet as they get ready for bed. When Weiss hurries off to brush her teeth, Ruby turns to her sister.

"Yang, I'm scared," she says, voice barely above a whisper.

Her sister glances up from her prosthetic arm, momentarily abandoning her nightly maintenance. "I know," Yang murmurs. "I am too."

"I don't know what's happening to me," Ruby admits, blinking back the tears that threaten to spill over.

Yang pulls her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I'm not sure what's going on either," her sister says. "But we'll figure it out together, okay? Try to get some sleep for now. Maybe it'll look better in the morning."

"Right." Ruby isn't exactly convinced, but she holds onto her sister's reassurance anyway. "Good night, Yang."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

They all sleep in the next morning, even Weiss, who has always been an early riser. But eventually, one by one, they all reluctantly drag themselves out of bed and make their way into the kitchen, slumping in their chairs around the table and sipping their coffees in an attempt to feel more awake.

Despite looking pale and worn out, Ozpin still manages to have a commanding presence. Once they've all gathered in a loose circle around the table, he clears his throat. "Miss Rose," he begins. "Qrow told me about what happened last night."

"Um, right," she replies hastily. "The uh, silver flames thing."

"They were maiden flames, Oz, I'm sure of it," Qrow interjects. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"Like Cinder," Jaune murmurs.

"Yes, quite," Ozpin agrees. "That is—unexpected, to say the least." Her turns to face Yang. "Miss Xiao Long, are you quite certain that the Vault of the Spring Maiden was completely deserted when you went down to retrieve the relic? Are you sure that there were no clues as to what might have occurred before your arrival?"

Yang shifts uncomfortably, refusing to meet anyone's eyes as she stares down at the table. "Not exactly,' she says finally. "When I came down to the Vault, Cinder was gone, and Vernal was dead, like I said earlier. But—" She pauses, ducking her head so that her expression is hidden behind a curtain of hair. "My m—Raven was there. And she's the one who opened the Vault. She's the Spring Maiden."

Qrow growls under his breath, clenching his fists. There's a long moment of silence as everyone tries to digest her words. "I see," Ozpin says finally. "Thank you, Miss Xiao Long. I suspected as much."

"Um, Professor Ozpin, sir?" Nora asks, sounding unusually timid. "What does all that mean, then? What's happening to Ruby?"

"It means," Professor Ozpin replies. "That we had even more luck than I previously thought during our fight for Haven Academy. Not only did we succeed in retrieving the Lamp of Knowledge and keep it from falling into the hands of Salem's accomplices, but we have also acquired the powers of the Fall Maiden."

"Wait—Ruby?" Weiss asks, looking incredulous.

"Me?" Ruby squeaks.

"Indeed." Ozpin nods. "I thought I recognized the description of those powers when Qrow told me, but it is valuable to be able to confirm it. Miss Rose here has inherited the powers of the Fall Maiden, the Maiden of Choice. For one reason or another, she must have been in Cinder Fall's final thoughts, which allowed the powers to fall to her."

"Oh." Ruby isn't sure how to feel about this. She never asked for this kind of power. She's always just wanted to be an ordinary girl, a huntress who protects the people. Ozpin speaks of the maidens with something like reverence, but if Ruby's being honest, she doesn't feel very powerful right now. If anything, she feels a little queasy. "So, what do we do now?"

"Good to see that you're looking to the future, Miss Rose." Ozpin rests his chin on top of his clasped hands. "Despite the betrayal and subsequent loss of Professor Leonardo Lionheart, we have made significant strides forward. Our top priority will have to be getting the lamp to a secure location, but obviously, we will all need to rest quite up a bit before traveling anywhere. In the meantime," he turns to Ruby with a smile. "I suggest that we allow our new Fall Maiden to get acquainted with her new powers."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment he hears Tyrian's annoying singsongy voice, Mercury knows that today is going to suck.

"Oh, Mercury! I do hope that you're awake in there." Tyrian peers around the entrance to his "room," his usual creepy grin firmly in place. "I'm afraid that our dearest savior wishes to see you."

The moment he hears Tyrian's annoying singsongy voice, Mercury knows that today is going to suck. Since Cinder introduced them to the "inner circle," he's never been fond of the others working for Salem—and even Cinder herself isn't (wasn't) great—but he finds Tyrian in particular exhausting to be around. It's not just that the scorpion faunus is obnoxious, although of course he is. Watts is annoying too, with his arrogance and Atlesian attitude, but Tyrian is just so weird that Mercury tries to avoid him at all costs.

But he probably shouldn't keep Salem waiting, especially after seeing her rage the other day. As far as he knows, the windows in the main room are still completely shattered. He hates to admit it, but he's reluctantly grateful to Hazel for getting him out of there. Mercury's never been great with people, but he finds Hazel especially difficult to understand.

Speaking of Hazel, he wonders how Emerald is doing. He hasn't seen her since Hazel whisked the two of them away from Salem's magical temper tantrum. He knows that she's taking Cinder's loss harder than him. Unlike her, he'd always seen Cinder as a means to an end, someone who valued the skills he had honed and would give him a job to use them for. It's why he's fine with continuing to work with Salem, even after her death.

But Emerald, on the other hand, well. For some reason, she'd adopted Cinder as some sort of parental figure, seen her as the mother she'd never had, despite Cinder having never returned that affection. With Cinder gone, Emerald is probably wondering what she should do now. Because while Mercury is content to stay so long as he's given a purpose, Emerald has made it pretty clear that she wants "more" than that, whatever that means.

The situation isn't going to last forever. Eventually, something is going to give, and if Emerald isn't careful, she's going to be the one on the receiving end of Salem's wrath. And Mercury isn't Hazel. He knows when it's better to keep his head down and mind his own business. He's only willing to stick his neck out so far to protect her.

Emerald's going to have to figure things out for herself. He's not willing to hold her hand and walk her through this.

Even if she's much less annoying than Tyrian or Watts or even Hazel.

When he arrives in the great room, Tyrian and Watts are already inside, standing at attention in front of Salem. Great. Just great. He joins them, bowing his head and hoping he seems respectful enough or whatever. Keeping his gaze on the floor, he notices that someone has swept up the broken glass, although the windows are still broken, letting in a breeze from outside.

Despite the wind coming in through the windows, the room still feels stuffy and oppressive. The breeze is anything but refreshing, smelling of rotten eggs and undercooked meat, and it's warm as it ruffles his hair. It reminds him of the breath of a giant beast. Mercury swallows hard and tries to ignore it in favor of whatever Salem is talking about.

"Although we've had many—setbacks lately, thanks to Cinder's disobedience, I am please to announce that we are fortunate enough to still have a clear path forward."

"That is wonderful, my lady!" Tyrian crows gleefully, his ever-present creepy grin widening.

"Of course." Watts nods, looking satisfied.

Mercury, for his part, does his best to look excited at this announcement.

"Although Ozpin is now in possession of the Lamp of Knowledge, the fact that the Lamp has been removed from the vault means that it is now vulnerable. It can easily be taken when the time is right."

"Of course, my lady!"

"We will not fail you in our duties."

Once again, Mercury remains silent. Salem seems unconcerned by his lack of response. "But first, before we attempt to retrieve the lamp once more, there is something else we need to acquire." She looks them over, and Mercury resists the urge to shudder as those inhuman eyes meet his own. "Which is why I am sending the three of you to the Branwen tribe's encampment. There, you will once more locate the Spring Maiden, and bring her to me. Is that clear?"

The three of them nod.

"We are happy to assist you, my lady!" Tyrian chirps.

"Sounds great," Mercury says, trying his best to seem like he's not lying through his teeth.

"We will depart at once," Watts promises.

"See that you do." Salem's gaze sweeps over their faces once again, lingering for a moment on Mercury. "I do hope that that you three realize that we cannot afford any more failures right now. See to it that you are successful in your quest."

Tyrian and Watts fall over themselves once more to assure her that they won't, while Mercury inwardly groans. A mission with both Watts and Tyrian? Just his luck. Why is he here again?

"And Mercury?" Salem interrupts him on his way out. "Do remind your little friend that if she doesn't adjust her attitude soon, I will adjust it for her. If she wishes to survive, she needs to readjust where her loyalties lie."

Mercury swallow hard, nodding hastily. "Of course," he replies.

"Good."

Just as he expected, Emerald is already on thin ice. And lucky him, he's the one who gets to break the news to her. He decides to stop by on his way out. After all, it's not like he's eager to go on an extended trip with Watts and Tyrian.

He knocks on the edge of the entryway to her "room." "Hey, Em?"

"What?" comes the immediate response. Oh, joy.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," he says hastily. "And—"he pauses for a moment. "Salem asked me to pass along a message."

"I'm fine," Emerald snaps. She sounds hoarse, and exhausted. "What is it?"

"She asked me to tell you need to uh, adjust your attitude, and where your loyalties lie, if you want to survive." She doesn't respond. "Emerald?"

"Go away!" she shouts.

"Emerald, come on. I know that you're upset, but—"

"But what?" Emerald demands. "Don't you care at all that she's dead?"

"Of course I do," It's not a complete lie; he definitely wishes that Cinder were still here. "But she's not worth dying over, Emerald." He sighs. "I know that you're upset, but she didn't care about you, Emerald!"

"Leave!" She screams in response. He decides to give up on trying to get through to her for now. Maybe Hazel will be able to keep her out of trouble while he's gone.

For all that Mercury thought he would be happy to stay so long as he had a purpose, he's starting to wonder if any of this is worth it anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it.
> 
> Just a reminder that I do take requests for fics, so if there's an idea that you'd like to see me write, feel free to message me and if I like it, I might end up writing something for it. Also, if you like one of my ideas and want to write your own fic for it, feel free! I'm not possessive with my ideas, and most of my writing is self-indulgent anyway, so all that I ask is that you let me know so I can read it.


End file.
